Put simply, a virus does not replicate or function independently. So by the biological definition, a virus cannot be categorized as a living organism.

(Archaea are microorganisms that define the limits of life on Earth.) " Sukunaarchaeum is not a virus, but a highly streamlined cellular organism," Nakayama said.

Over a single day, in the placid waters of a single pond, a million virus particles might enter a single-celled organism known for the minuscule hairs, or cilia, that propel it through those waters.

In the vast and often unseen world of microscopic life, a recent discovery may force scientists to rethink what it means to be alive. Nestled inside a tiny plankton cell, researchers found a ...

Viruses are “consumed incidentally” by a wide range of organisms, said Science Alert, but only a microbe called Halteria qualifies for the newly coined classification of “virovore” – an ...

Though plenty of organisms eat viruses accidentally as they consume other living things, no organism has been known to munch viruses on purpose—until now.

For the first time, scientists discover organisms whose diets rely on eating viruses Meet the "virovores," microbes that get their nutrients from consuming viruses By Troy Farah Science & Health ...

The team at the Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology calls their creation Syn57. It is a synthetic ...

(Archaea are microorganisms that define the limits of life on Earth.) " Sukunaarchaeum is not a virus, but a highly streamlined cellular organism," Nakayama said.

If these organisms are eating viruses in nature, it could change the way scientists think about global carbon cycling.

Put simply, a virus does not replicate or function independently. So by the biological definition, a virus cannot be categorised as a living organism.